When Darkness Turns to Light
by TangiblyYours
Summary: "The first time they met, he was committing grand larceny." James and Logan meet under the most unexpected of situations, a well practiced craft of deceit consuming them, and the only thing that can really save them is each other. James/Logan slash, AU.


**Title: **When Darkness Turns to Light

**Summary: **"The first time they met, he was committing grand larceny." James and Logan meet under the most unexpected of situations, a well practiced craft of deceit consuming them, and the only thing that can really save them is each other. James/Logan slash, AU.

**Warning:** Well, let's see... Lying, cheating, stealing, manipulation, explicit language, minor insinuations of mature themes, breaking and entering, angst... Overall it's just basically a compilation of all things clandestine. Give it a chance?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Big Time Rush or any of the characters involved. No copyright infringement intended.

* * *

The first time they met, he was committing grand larceny.

It was on the corner of Sunset and Hollywood Boulevard that his stealth and precision rewarded him with this Akoya cultured pearl necklace—complete with fourteen karat gold clasp. He smirked inwardly as he tightened his grip around the pristine necklace, burying it in the confines of his pocket. Adrenaline surged through his blood steam as he withdrew into the shadows of the surrounding buildings.

This, he thought to himself, was the art of subtlety. A deceit that he'd grown so familiar with—such well thought out and executed movements that he'd grown almost pretentious in his ability to take what didn't belong to him—not once had he ever gotten caught.

And just as the thought entered his mind, his gaze caught on a pair of hazel eyes, speckled with forest green and brown and _just fucking gleaming. _It was in the way that the stranger quirked his eyebrow slightly—the pupils of his eyes dilated with cognition—that Logan _knew _he had been caught. A shudder of panic trailed down his spine, electricity shooting from every vertebral disc in his body. But the sensation was short lived; he was quickly swept up by an unexpected thrill of astonishment mixed with just an ounce of arousal as the stranger smirked—_fucking smirked—_and nodded only slightly.

Logan felt an involuntary grin settle across his expression, fear forgotten for only a moment as the stranger flexed his jaw as though suppressing laughter. It was in the artful way that the unknown brunette dipped his head slightly, hiding his devious smile that just _screamed _amusement. His gaze caught Logan's once again, and the spark ignited, revealing so much heated pleasure and reverence that it created an almost tangible tie between their two gazes.

For the moment, Logan was utterly baffled by the complexity and novelty of their interaction—as though he was drawn to this peculiar stranger. His gaze was stuck on the form that stood only ten feet away, leaning against the side of a building with his arms across his chest. Logan noticed that brunette hair the seemed almost silken in appearance as it correlated with the deep hazel eyes—blown wide with an emotion that could only be described as acceptance.

And he felt an insatiable urge to just fucking walk right up to the all-knowing brunette and kiss him senseless. The thought caused an explosion of heat and electricity to explode behind Logan's ribcage.

His rationale thought better of it. It seemed as though he'd already gotten away with murder—_or should he say larceny?_— with the handsome stranger, and he figured it wouldn't be wise to push his luck.

He offered one last heated glance toward the brunette, his treacherous smirk held in places as the hand in his pocket clutched the pearl necklace. With a final, resolute nod, Logan turned and walked down the dark alley—the dusky shadows hiding all of his interwoven and corrupt secrets with ease.

And, God, he hoped, prayed, and pleaded with every ounce of morality he still had left that this wouldn't be the last time he would meet the handsome brunette.

* * *

It was several months later before they met again, and Logan found it highly amusing to realize that their roles seemed to have been reversed.

He stood with his back pressed against the sepia design of the drywall behind him, veiled behind a gold tapestry that hung from the ceiling. It was in that moment that Logan was fully capable of understanding the covert brunette that had let him escape with a stolen four-hundred dollar necklace so many months ago.

He watched with barely concealed amusement as the brunette's shoulder knocked against a small form of a young woman, knocking her only slightly off balance. He noticed the pseudo-stricken expression of his handsome stranger as he helped steady the woman, offering what was surely an explicit apology. The woman smiled kindly, nodding in acceptance as she raised her hand to the brunette's bicep in a reassuring gesture. As the woman walked off, Logan watched as his handsome stranger pocketed a gleaming, silver hand-bracelet.

Logan smirked warmly at the sight, feeling his sympathetic nervous system respond and send impulses to all of the right neurons and synapse. It was a tactic that Logan had used on many occasions—clandestine movements that depended solely on catching someone off guard.

Suddenly, hazel eyes met his and immediately kindled with emotion and something that could only be described as appreciation. Logan felt the corner of his lip lift slightly in a crooked grin as he leaned against the wall, easing further into the shadows that surrounded him.

The hazel eyes drew closer, allowing Logan to gradually realize that the brunette's pupils were dilated, evidence of the adrenaline rush he was probably experiencing. And as his handsome strange drew closer, an unexplainable cable of electricity formed in the space that separated them from one another—pulling them closer as though by gravitational pull. The atmosphere seemed to buzz with tension and heat, emotions consuming Logan in a way that he'd never before experienced—so fierce, so _fucking _intense. His eyes widened, attempting to steady himself as his muscles tensed in anticipation, almost fucking reaching out for the brunette.

And as soon as _his _fucking brunette was close enough, Logan grasped the front of the other boy's jacket pulling him _so, so fucking close. _Their lips connected in a fit of heat and fervency, moving together in such perfect sync—as though they were simply _made _to do this—that it seemed almost habitual to be kissing this stranger whose name he didn't even know. Logan's hands trailed up to the brunette hair, tugging lightly and pulling him closer, claiming him, because he was fucking _his_ and no one elses.

Logan pulled away after several long moments, his entire body trembling from the warmth that seemed to flood through his every vein and artery. His breathing was ragged and harsh as he buried his face into the crook of the other boy's neck. He whimpered quietly nuzzling against the warm flesh as he realized how _desperately _he needed to know the brunette's name. "Logan," he rasped finally, revealing his identity and hoping that the sentiment would be returned.

"James," the other boy whimpered—fucking _whimpered—_and Logan wanted to cry. _James._

"James?" he said, just because he needed to hear the name from his own voice. Such a lovely name and it was _his_ now—_James _was his, if only for this moment.

"Yeah."

Logan nodded, chuckling to himself. "Yeah?" he mumbled before facing James again, pulling him closer. "I think I fucking love you," Logan growled teasingly as he pulled James into another heated kiss.

* * *

Following that, James and Logan were together constantly—fire igniting every time they were even remotely close to each other. Months passed and the two of them became a coalescence of sorts, thriving off from each other—warmth, affection, desire, want, need, and so, so fucking much intensity.

Logan leaned over James one night when they were in bed, his fingers dancing across the sun-kissed skin of the other boy's abdomen, completely absorbed with the way the moonlight shone across just a bit of the warm flesh. It was in that moment that Logan truly understood the depth of his feelings for James—so much fucking care and precision—he didn't even put _this_ much effort when it came to stealing. No, he _loved _James, and James was more important than any other factor.

"Are you ever afraid that you'll get caught?" James whispered, breaking Logan away from his thoughts with a lazy smile.

Logan smirked crookedly, thinking back to the first day they met. "You caught me." Logan tried not to smile at the obscured meaning that hid beneath the words, an undercurrent of emotion surging through every syllable.

"And you're lucky that I was the only one who saw you," James said, quirking an eyebrow.

"Well, _I _caught _you_, too."

"That's because _you_ were looking for it."

"Oh, don't make excuses," Logan quipped with a scowl.

"Alright," James replied with a chuckle his eyes closing. "Maybe we should stop, Logan... It's too dangerous... There's too much at stake now," he said in a strained whisper. "I don't want to lose you."

Logan ran his hands through James' brunette hair, eyes darkening slightly. "We'll see," he replied noncommittally.

"Well... I'm done," he said as he reveal the hazel irises that hid beneath his eyelids, a small smirk settling across his expression. The moonlight swathed across his features, making him look so much more innocent, not at all like someone that you'd expect to be a serial larcenist—_ex_ serial larcenist, apparently. "I love you."

Logan's chocolate brown eyes widened at the sentiment, a undefinable warmth accumulating in his chest. "Love you, too, James."

* * *

Logan stealthily exited the backdoor of the unknown house, his black gloved hand trembling slightly as he clutched the door knob. He left arm cradled a silver and golden vase, the design and intricacy of the pattern veiled by the black cotton of Logan's long-sleeved shirt.

Adrenaline pumped through his entire body, sympathetic nervous system in over-drive once again.

Tremors of excitement shook his every muscles as he searched his surrounding, so devastatingly dark—not even a single streetlight in the neighborhood on this cloudy night.

Logan supposed that, in his black clothes, he would be virtually invisible to the naked eye.

And as he walked casually in the opposite direction towards his car, he tried not to notice the sirens that blared in the distance, gradually coming closer.

This, he thought to himself, would be the _last_ time.

* * *

"_A 20-year old male was taken into custody last night for suspicion of grand larceny. Witnesses reported the suspect walking around the neighborhood of the incident around 9:00 pm last night. Police officers have yet to locate the fifteen-hundred dollar vase that was stolen from the local home, and any information regarding the missing object will receive a cash reward. Suspect is currently being interrogated at the local police station."_

The ceramic mug slipped from his hand, falling to the floor and shattering at impact. Coffee covered the hardwood flooring as he stared at the picture on the television. He could hear the words being spoken but could not actually comprehend them as a panic so fierce—so unfamiliar that it was utterly staggering—consumed him completely. The entire room seemed to spin, a lump forming in his throat as he turned his attention to the gold and silver vase that was situated on the fireplace mantle.

And for just one second he was quite uncertain as to how this was actually possible... Because that was _James' _picture on the television screen.

And, if anyone's, it was suppose to be _his_.

He found himself pacing through his living room flat, trying to think of a solution to the problem that he had caused—his own selfish desire to feel that adrenaline rush, _just one more time._ He had risked so, so much for nothing at all, and it had ended in the worst possible outcome.

He would just return the vase, he thought shakily. James was in custody and once the vase was returned, his name would be cleared. There would be no possible way for James to have had the vase if it had been returned while he was being held at the police station.

He couldn't remember a time when he'd ever felt this desperate.

* * *

"_...Twenty four hours ago the stolen vase was miraculously returned to the local home. No other reports of missing items from the home have been made, and after a thorough search and investigation, suspect James Diamond has been cleared on all counts of grand larceny, as well as breaking and entering. He is to be released later this evening."_

The words replayed in Logan's mind over and over again as he stood outside of the local police station, silhouetted by the streetlights as he stood in the shadows. His entire form was shaking in anticipation, waiting so, so desperately for James to walk out and be safe again... _please, please. God, never again. I'll never fucking steal ever again._

Minutes gradually passed, the perpetual panic that had been instilled within Logan since the moment he heard the first news report still simmering beneath his chest. Emotions creeping through his entire body, because all he really cared about was getting James _home _where they both belonged.

He sighed deeply, stepping further into the shadows as an inexplicable cold-edged uncertainty continued to slice through his tissues and bones.

And the moment that the door to the police station opened, revealing a tired James, Logan allowed a slight sob of relief to escape himself. He closed his eyes for a moment, sighing deeply yet again as a small smile settled across his expression.

He stepped away from the shadows, allowing the moonlight to shine across his entire form and reveal him completely to the only person he'd ever really cared about. His chocolate brown eyes met hazel, a hesitant moment passing before James stepped closer, his hand reaching out tentatively. And before Logan was even aware that he had moved, he was wrapped up in James' tight embrace, mumbling apologies as he clung to James with every ounce of strength that he possessed.

And as the moonlight enveloped their surroundings—setting everything alight with a dull glow—Logan couldn't help but smirk deviously, an expression that James mirrored admirably.

_Who needs to steal when you already have everything you ever wanted?  


* * *

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**Important Note: **I do _not _take complete credit for this idea. Let's just say I've watched If We Ever Meet Again by Timbaland ft. Katy Perry music video entirely too much. I loved the general idea of having two main characters who lie, cheat, and steal, because you almost _never _see main characters that have a dark side.

**Author's Note: **The idea came to me, stuck, and forced me to write it. I cannot be held responsible for my muse's desire to write odd things. Blame him. But despite the fact that this story is _insanely _Alternate Universe, I'm actually really proud of it.

Also, thank you so, so, so much to everyone who has been reading my stories! I can't tell you how encouraging all of your feedback is. You're all so very awesome. :)

And finally, I hope everyone enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I would definitely love to hear some of your thoughts and opinions. What did you think of crooked Logan and James? Did you catch any of the more subtle aspects of the story? Please, please, please review, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. :)

**Every time you ignore that little review button... Logan feels tempted to steal a puppy. Please. For the sake of Logan's self-restraint. :D**


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